It's a Square World After All
by Sirius Dogstar
Summary: Cid Highwind is called to his destiny across Square worlds we all know and love...
1. Default Chapter

It has been a long time since I have written any fanfics, but after reading a few my sis got, and listening to a Final Fantasy CD I just bought I am suddenly in the mood at twelve in the morning. So come what may here we go, and this time I will make it a chapter fic! Oh, and my goal this time is to get more than five reviews so please leave a note and let me know how you feel!  
  
It's a Square World After All. By Sirius Griffon (Formally Dogstar)  
  
Prologue The Weary Traveler.  
  
Cid Highwind looked to the wreckage behind him once more, afraid that he could not walk away from it. It was not that he was injured or anything. at least physically all he had were a few bumps, scrapes, and a bruised leg. The wounds could be healed with the cure materia he always carried, and the leg wound mend in time and steady walking. But it still hurt. He felt both the betrayer and the betrayed. The Tiny Bronco had been there forever for Cid. He had grown to love every scratch in its pink coat, very much like battle scars from the wars they had always waged together in the skies to keep aloft. Now for once the benevolent sky had won and killed the Tiny Bronco, leaving the old pilot stranded by his least favorite place. the crater where it all had ended. (Or had it been the beginning?)  
  
'If I walk fast enough, I should be able to reach that damn village in a few days,' Cid thought with a sigh, running a leather covered hand through his short blond hair. His other hand held onto an elaborate spear, the finest spear ever crafted, named the Venus Gospel. Very valuable materias like Comet and Bahamut rested there, but he did not care. It was the spear that mattered to him, and he was grateful at least to have that.  
  
'But I will have to walk past IT," Cid muttered, looking forward. His blue eyes were keen, and he had no problems at all spying the crater about a mile ahead of him. He would never forget fighting the greatest evils the world had ever known there, Jenova and ol' Sephy. Nor would he forget the fountain of lifestream that existed down at its heart, the earth's heart. Now he would have to walk past it? He reached up to the flight goggles on his head, and from the pocket he had created for them pulled out a cigarette. Using the Fire materia he always kept beside the Heal, he lit it and continued on.  
  
"Did you honestly think that you Cid Highwind, last of the great dragoons, was meant to just settle down and die?" asked a voice, not malign but almost admonishing.  
  
"Who said that?" Cid yelled, looking all around him but seeing only the snow covered ground and the damn crater. He was agitated at being admonished like that, especially at his age.  
  
"I did," said the voice, and as it spoke a creature popped up beside Cid. It looked like a big white wolf, but unlike the local monsters that used to live here it was large, large enough for him to ride, and majestic. On its back rested an immense set of white, furry wings, it bore a longer tail and claws, and on its head a set of horns matching the color of Cid's eyes.  
  
Cid's reflexes kicked into action, and in a fraction of a second the stranger found the tip of the Venus Gospel at its throat. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded, his voice an angry growl.  
  
"My name is Soulstorm, but you can call me Stormy. I am surprised you did not already know, after all I have been watching you from birth. Too much searing I guess."  
  
"What the Hell are you blabbering about?" Cid asked, releasing his prize from his deathlock.  
  
"Every dragoon has a guardian Cid, and I happen to be yours. We only step in when needed. and the time has come for you and I to be needed."  
  
"Cloud and the rest of us defeated Sephy already," Cid said.  
  
"You think it ended there? Where did Sephiroth die, Cid?"  
  
"Well at the Crater."  
  
"And what was that filled with?"  
  
"The lifestream. But I still don't what that has."  
  
"His soul was returned to the lifestream to be reborn Cid! With all of the anger and hurt he bore inside do you have any idea what kind of a monster that will create? The mind cringes at it!"  
  
"Well what the Hell can I do?" Cid yelled crimson rising to his weathered cheeks like it always did when he was angry. "Why not bother Cloud?"  
  
"It is not his Fate. it is yours Cid. I do not question it. But do not worry, you don't share that fate alone Cid. All you have to do is call me and I shall come. You shall meet others too."  
  
"What if I say no?"  
  
"I can be just as stubborn as you Cid. I will not take no as an answer. Besides I know you better than that!"  
  
"But the Tiny Bronco! Rocket Town! And.and. Shera," he finally said her name, and a sigh came over him. "If I don't do it, she will die. If I do it will be a long time before I see her again. Damned if I do, damned if I don't! Shit!"  
  
"So will you do it Cid Highwind?" Cid thought a moment, taking a long puff of smoke and releasing it in a fine line.  
  
"Can't disappoint Fate right?" he asked.  
  
"Right! Now all you need to do is jump into the Crater."  
  
"WHAT!?! Cid yelled, and for what was only the second time in his life a cig fell from his mouth.  
  
"The world will catch you Cid. after that you are on your own. Do you not trust me?" Cid looked into Stormy's eyes, and saw the truth that lied there. He saw eyes like his own, eyes that told every emotion and thought. And people wondered why he wore goggles?  
  
"I trust you," he said.  
  
"Then get onto my back Cid for the most fateful ride of your life." He did so, clutching the creature's fur as he mounted it. It was aloft in seconds, and in just seconds more above the crater.  
  
"You know what you have to do," it said. Cid nodded.  
  
"Right. then I guess this is good-bye." He stood a moment on the creature's back, the winds fiercely blowing at him and tossing his scarf around like a flag. But as a true dragoon he kept his balance, before diving into the crater.  
  
"GOOD LUCK CID!" the creature shouted, and those were the last words Cid heard before the world started to fade into a haze of bright green. 


	2. A New Beginning

On to Chapter One, a bit morose but I wanted the best, most kick-ass Guardian there ever was to be on Cid's team first. Chapter One A Lifetime Past.  
  
Gradually the green started to fade and become a lighter blue until at last he could see again. He almost wished that he could not. Millions of people floated around him, some wailing and moaning while others could care less about anything. Cid knew right away there was one thing that all of these people shared. they were all dead. "I am not in the Lifestream any more. that is for damn certain," he said. He moved to walk, noting at once his pain was gone. He looked down, only to find that he was almost see through!  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!" he yelled. His hold on the spear tightened, and for once in his life he felt almost terrified.  
  
"Easy there my friend." said a calming voice. Cid turned around to find a man of intimidating stature, and a huge blade upon his back. He wore dark pants, and a red robe along with a set of glasses that by no means made him look scholarly. Yet he had a sage look to him all the same, and the man's one good eye showed Cid that there was a hero standing before him who had seen almost as much as he himself had. "I am Auron. you?"  
  
"Cid. Cid Highwind. Just where the Hell am I Auron?"  
  
"This is the Farplane Cid. Have you not heard of it?"  
  
"Uh. no. Can't say that I have. Let me ask you another thing then."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What the fucking Hell is a Farplane?" Auron smiled underneath his high collar, and even laughed a bit to himself.  
  
"You have quite a way with words Cid. The truth is that this IS a sort of Hell, in that it is a place for souls after their bodies have died."  
  
"I don't believe that," Cid said, in such a matter-of-fact tone that Auron was startled.  
  
"How can you not believe that?" Auron said. "Look all around you Cid! Death on all sides! You can hear it, feel it, smell it!"  
  
"A person is not dead until they give up. and I for one know I have not given up yet! Have you?" Auron sighed, and bowed his head.  
  
"Yes. yes I guess I have," he said.  
  
"Huh. well from the blade I assumed you were a warrior or something." Auron shook his head.  
  
"I was a guardian, for one the greatest summoners this world had seen." Cid shook his head.  
  
"Eh. you lost me Auron," he admitted. "But from what I gathered it was an important job. Why did you quit?" Auron smiled.  
  
"There was a great force in this world named Sin. When she defeated it, all that was left was to send it, or pray for it. Our mission was fulfilled, and now the world is at peace again." Cid shook his head.  
  
"Not for long. A man named Sephiroth is about to become a massive monster, and destroy all he can." As Cid said this, an image formed between the men of Sephiroth floating in the Lifestream, his eyes filled with an intense hatred.  
  
"I have moved on now Cid, and accepted my fate. I am dead."  
  
"Well so am I according to you! Reality is what we make of it Auron. and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it be destroyed by a monster like Sephiroth!" Auron looked to Cid, then nodded.  
  
"Then I shall be your guardian Cid," he decided. Cid shook his head, and extended a hand.  
  
"Not a guardian Auron. An ally and a friend." Auron nodded, and took Cid's hand. In that second, the Farplane faded to nothingness. 


	3. Where's My Hotdog?

So who next you ask? Well we are on to one of my favorite characters, and the one in my mind that made FFVIII worthy of playing.  
  
Chapter Two Where's My Hotdog?  
  
Cid and Auron found themselves in the middle of a cafeteria, with young people so absorbed in their own lives that they did not even notice the two men appear out of thin air. "Where are we?" Auron asked. "I feel a little out place."  
  
"How the bloody Hell should I know?" Cid yelled, drawing the attention of the students. This was obviously a private school or something, since every kid wore a uniform.  
  
"Never mind my friend. he's a bit off in the head," Auron said with a smirk.  
  
"OFF!" Cid screamed. "Why I oughtta." Just then, a new person somersaulted in the air and landed between them. Unlike the others, he was not wearing a uniform. Instead he wore baggy blue pants that were cut off at the knees, and a black shirt. But what really attracted attention was the way he had mutilated his blond hair. Oh. and there was that huge tattoo taking up half of his face too.  
  
"You two must be the two new teachers we hired!" the kid said with enthusiasm. No. kid was not quite right. He was a little older than that, maybe in his early twenties.  
  
"Oh no we." Auron began, but Cid elbowed him hard in the chest causing Auron to double over with lack of breath.  
  
"Yes. yes we are," Cid said with a smile that almost seemed to make him look soft. He bent down to see Auron's face and added in a whisper nobody else could hear, "Just play along, okay?" Auron nodded, regaining himself.  
  
"Yes," Auron said. "My name is Auron, and this is Cid," the young man chortled at the mention of Cid's name, and Cid's cheeks turned crimson.  
  
"JUST WHAT IS SO DAMN FUNNY?" he roared, making their host seem to shrink.  
  
"Er. nothing Sir. It's just that our headmaster's name is also Cid!"  
  
"Oh," Cid said calming down.  
  
"Well my name is Zell Dincht, and I'll be glad to show you around the place! First let's get a bit gentlemen, I'm starving!" Zell walked over to the lunchlady's counter, a wide grin on his face. "One hotdog please!"  
  
"Sorry Zell. we are all out," the lady said with an apologetic face.  
  
"NOT AGAIN!" Zell yelled. Cid and Auron just stared at him, flabbergasted.  
  
"Don't tell me this is the next member of our party?" Auron asked.  
  
"For our sakes I hope not." Cid said, shaking his head. In the meantime, Zell made his way back to them.  
  
"Well come on then, I'll show you the library! It's really cool.and."  
  
"You just want to see your girlfriend again!" shouted a member of their audience. Zell turned a bright pink and shouted back,  
  
"So what if I do? Now you better get back to your tables before I cream all of you!"  
  
"YESSIR!" they all yelled, and were instantly seated. "Kids," Zell said shaking his head walking off.  
  
"Perhaps there is more to this kid than we thought Cid." Auron said in a hushed voice. Cid nodded, but said nothing.  
  
"Hmmm. why don't we try a test of strength before the library?" Zell asked. "Some fun sport in the Training Room?" Cid smiled.  
  
"Now you're talking kid! I'll kick some ass!"  
  
"We'll see." was all that Zell said, as he led them down a long hallway. He opened a door, to reveal a lush jungle. "There's plenty of monsters for all here, we even brought some from far away! So who would like to go first?"  
  
"How about you Zell?" Auron asked.  
  
"All right. oh there we go!" He looked to a huge plant, and a fire came to his eyes that both Cid and Auron knew at once. the battle spirit. Zell once more somersaulted into the air until he was almost a story high, then balled a fist and pointed it down like an arrow. The plant splattered into green goo, covering both spectators.  
  
"He's the one," Auron said.  
  
"Without a doubt," Cid agreed. Zell walked up to them, and wiped a bit of splatter from his face.  
  
"So who's ready to try next at weed-whacking?"  
  
"Let us go see that girlfriend you were talking about." Auron said, a serious look on his face. But Zell either did not see it or chose not to recognize it.  
  
"Great! Oh you will love her!" He skipped ahead with excitement, the two "Teachers" behind.  
  
"Why'd you encourage him?" Cid hissed at Auron.  
  
"Because this may be his last chance to see her Cid right?" Cid thought a moment, then nodded.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
With Zell setting the pace, it did not take them very long to arrive there. "ZELL!" a young woman with her brown hair up in pigtails yelled. Cid could not help but look at her breasts.and from the looks of it Auron was not looking at books either.  
  
Zell took the woman in his arms, holding her tight. "You miss me?" he asked.  
  
"Always!" she said. "And who are your pals?"  
  
"Oh they are the new teachers we ordered, Cid and Auron!"  
  
"Nice to meet you," Cid said.  
  
"A pleasure," Auron added. "But Zell. you must be saying good-bye to her now."  
  
"Oh right! We still have a lot of ground to cover!" He kissed his girl hard, a smile on his face, before saying, "Love ya!" He then skipped out into the hall, still smiling.  
  
"There is something we must tell you Zell. but not here," Auron said. Zell nodded.  
  
"Okay uh. how about on the balcony? Nobody will hear us there?" Cid nodded, and they all went there. "So what's up?"  
  
"Zell. we are not teachers." Auron said.  
  
"What?" Zell asked. "Then who are you?"  
  
"We are from other worlds, forming a party to fight a force which threatens us all and you have been chosen."  
  
"Don't tell me that bullshit!" Zell yelled with hands on his hips. "Are you spies?"  
  
"He says the truth," Cid replied. "We are asking you to come with us and save the world!"  
  
"I have been there, done that," Zell said shaking his head. "My friends went through a lot of Hell, and for that matter so did I. It is something I would never do again."  
  
"Are you afraid?" Auron asked.  
  
"You have my answer," Zell said, staring at them fiercely. "Now leave before I kick your lying asses!"  
  
"Why should I be afraid of a kid that looks like a chicken. and for that matter is a pansy-ass wuss that will not face up to his fate? A chickenwuss."  
  
"Cid. there is no such word." Auron said.  
  
"I know that! Just trying to rile the kid a bit and."  
  
"NEVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!" Zell roared in Cid's face.  
  
"WELL UNTIL YOU PROVE OTHERWISE TO ME THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE!" Cid roared right back. Zell looked at them a moment, before walking away.  
  
"I'm going to see if they have any more hotdogs yet. You had better be gone by the time I get back!" They watched him go a moment before Auron spoke.  
  
"Do you want her to die Zell?" Zell wheeled around.  
  
"Are you threatening her?" he asked, anger flashing.  
  
"No," Auron said. "But if you do not come she will die all the same. I have a feeling that if we are not all there to meet our fate then this monster will take all the world."  
  
"Go get Squall." Zell muttered.  
  
"We have you!" Cid yelled. "Now you have a decision to make kid and you had better make it good!"  
  
"Hmph, I'll go." he said, then smiled. "You old fogies need someone interesting anyways!"  
  
"FOGEY! WHY I SHOULD." But Cid never got the chance to finish, as a strong wind blew them off of the balcony. For one terrifying moment they were all falling, and then everything faded yet again. 


	4. Something Special

Chapter Three Something Special.  
  
Zidane hung from his tail, staring down at the people who had just entered his forest. "What the hell?" He covered his mouth and blushed, then stared at his daughter. "Sorry, Merle, honey. Daddy's got a potty mouth today."  
  
His daughter laughed. "That's okay Daddy. Are we gonna fleece them? I know Mom's been wanting a new Summon Card for her collection."  
  
Zidane laughed. "You just want to see your old thieving dad in action!" Merle smiled, then flipped up onto the branch they hung from. She looked roughly 3 years old, and had a horn on her forehead. Zidane swung up and patted her on the head. "Run on home now, sweetling, they're getting closer, and I don't want them to see you."  
  
Merle smiled. "All right then." She disappeared into the trees, and Zidane turned to his quarry at hand.  
  
Beneath him, he watched the men approach. One of them looked positively deadly, with an enormous sword hanging on his back and a deadly glare in his eyes. Another looked somewhat dangerous, what with the enormous spear he carried. The last however, looked just right. He was tall, blond, and looked about as smart as a rock. Not to mention that, Zidane saw the telltale cardholder attached to the man's belt.  
  
"YES! Great. A Cardplayer."  
  
He dropped slowly into their path, until he hung just ahead of the group. His tail held him stable, and he stared upside down at the approaching group. The moment they saw him, they stopped, and weapons were out.  
  
Zidane eeped, then ducked back into the trees. He grabbed his Ultima Weapon, and ducked back down.  
  
The group was directly under him.  
  
Zidane yelled out. "I'm harmless people! Name's Zidane, and these are my lands you're on, so you better put away those weapons!"  
  
Auron grinned. He liked the cocky kid. Cid just stared at the kid with the tail, clutching a weapon bigger than his spear. He shook his head. 'Will wonders never cease?' He thought in his head.  
  
Zell, being the eager little chickenwuss, hopped toward Zidane, his fists cocked, his feet bouncing. "Come on then. I'll beat you up. I'll tear our your liver. I'll make you eat that weapon. Doubt you even know how to use it."  
  
Zidane grinned, then fell at their feet, landing gracefully. He ran his hands down the Ultima Weapon and smiled. "I can use this.along with other things."  
  
Zell stared at him, wondering what that comment was supposed to mean. Then he laughed. He saw the cardcase on Zidane's belt. "Yeah! A card player. I challenge you!"  
  
Zidane flicked a hand disdainfully. "You're not my level."  
  
Zell puffed out his chest. "I'll take you on, any rules you want."  
  
Zidane smiled, and pulled out his deck.  
  
****30 minutes later****  
  
Zell groaned, and watched as Zidane picked up his last set of cards, the set of Summon's cards he had worked so hard to collect.  
  
Zidane smiled. "That wraps that up. Now may I ask what you all want?"  
  
Auron smiled. He liked the kid's spunk.  
  
Cid laughed. "Damn it kid, you sure as hell beat Zell out of every damn one of his cards."  
  
Zidane grinned, and looped his fingers in his pockets. "Damn right I did. And I'm not a kid. Name's Zidane Tribal, and I'm 18 years old, married, with two children. I've earned my status fighting for the freedom of this world, and I've earned the weapon I carry. I don't know about the rest of you, but this is my place, and unless you tell me what you're doing here, I'm going to have to herd you out on the points of my blade."  
  
Auron stepped closer to Zidane. "That won't be necessary. We are an elite fighting team from other worlds, set to keep all worlds from destruction. Each of us played a role in saving our worlds, just as you have here, and now, we collect the remainder of our team. Because we have come here, that must mean that you are the next member of our party."  
  
Zidane burst into laughter. "Dear Eidolons, that's funny. I gotta tell Dagger about this one, she'll get a kick out of you. Magic must have scrambled your brains. I'm not going anywhere with you."  
  
Zell looked at him. "You leave us no choice then. If we have to take you with us bound and gagged, we will. Do you honestly want that? You're too small to be of much harm to any of us, but you might inflict some damage as part of a group. You're coming with us, pipsqueak."  
  
Zidane grinned, baring his teeth. "Alright. A challenge. I love those."  
  
He swung his blade, and the battle began. In no time at all, a group of three unconscious men lay sprawled before him. Zidane laughed, and lugged them to the castle, where Dagger waited for him to bring home his day's work.  
  
When Zell woke up, he was naked as a jaybird. Looking around, he saw Auron and Cid in similar states. He moved around the room they were in, and found some sort of soft pink gowns. Lifting one, he held it up to him.  
  
"Damn that punk. Making me crossdress. There is no way in Hades' dominion I'm wearing a woman's night gown. But I'm just as much not letting those two see me in the buff."  
  
Zell put on the nightgown.  
  
When Auron and Cid woke up, they did the same. It was not long before Zidane opened the door. "So.nutcases, are you ready to play nice? Don't tear those, they belong to my wife."  
  
Zell shook his head. "You're still going to come with us."  
  
Zidane looked at them. "Somehow, I doubt that."  
  
Dagger laughed when she saw them. Zell stared at her carefully framed collection of cards. His own had found a place next to other sets, and he laughed. "That's what you do with them, Mr. Zidane? Give them to wifey- poo?"  
  
Zell found himself throat to literal dagger.  
  
Zidane smiled. "You'd do well to watch your mouth."  
  
It was some time later before the three were given their clothes back, clean and bare of any money or accessories they had carried.  
  
Auron whistled. "Damn, Zidane, you're sure as hell something special. I've never met anyone who could defeat me like that. We really could use a hand you know. Your skills would come in handy."  
  
Zidane grinned. "I sure am something special. I've seen all of you bare as babies, and you've got nothing on me. Plus, I gotta tail."  
  
Zidane hooked his hands into the pockets of his pants. The other three could not help but notice that Zidane was most definitely an adult.  
  
Zell laughed. "That's the biggest damn whanker I ever did see." The other guys laughed too, and they proceeded to share their dirty jokes with each other.  
  
Zidane looked at them, his face serious. "I think I'll go just for the hell of it. I need some adventure. Plus, you people had some fascinating items on you, and I want to get some more trinkets for my wife. Count me in. You know, an all-guy party, that sounds like a lot of fun. Don't dissapoint me now, or I might have to defeat you all again. You all did help me go up a few levels though. A few more points, and I'll be a level 99."  
  
Zidane said goodbye to his wife, and told Merle to watch the family business, and exercise her tail while he was away. Rubbing her horn for luck, he left to join the three where they waited, at the edge of his forest.  
  
Zidane clasped their hands, and the darkness swallowed them all. He kept a careful grip on his bag of weaponry, accessories and magic that he had decided he had enough of and could share. He laughed as he felt the whirl of the darkness around him, and the others just barely heard his yell.  
  
"Feels like a giant swirly!!" 


	5. Amiss

Chapter Four takes me to a game I will always remember, Parasite Eve. I never played the second, or the last building, so if any of the info is off please let me know! I just loved Aya though, and I knew she had to be in this fic! Chapter Four Out of Control  
  
"Where are we?" Cid asked, looking around him.  
  
"Reminds me a bit of Zanarkand." Auron said grimly. Huge buildings either lied in shambles on the hard pavement they stood on, or stood doubled over in the sky. There was the smell of smoke, and tendrils of it rose from everywhere. But what was worse what that it smelled like death.  
  
"I've seen this," Zidane said. "After Lindblum, my hometown, was attacked." Zell nodded.  
  
"Yes. it looks like an attack of some sort went down. But I see nobody's ass to kick for it! What should we do Cid?" Cid readied his spear, eyes determined as he slid his goggles over his eyes.  
  
"Get ready men. I have a feeling it will find us." At that second, a person teleported before them. Or at least at one time it had been human. It wore a green exoskeleton, and two sets of wings. Blades ran down its' arms, and its hair was like an amber crown. But it did have breasts, so Cid knew that at one time it must have been female.  
  
"I would say she was an unsent soul." Auron said, "But this woman is alive."  
  
"And with gun," Cid added, pointing to the handgun at the creature's side.  
  
"Did you do this?" Zell demanded.  
  
"Who else my boy?" the creature said, then laughed to itself.  
  
"But why?" Zidane asked. "Revenge?"  
  
"The mitochondria shall rise to rule this world!" she said.  
  
"Well I don't know what the Hell a mitochondria is, but I am not letting the likes of you have your way!" Cid growled.  
  
"Don't make her angry." the creature said, but this time in a much softer way.  
  
"Who?" Zidane asked, cocking his head.  
  
".The sister to Eve. Lilith."  
  
"Whoo boy. talk about a split personality disorder," Zell said shaking his head.  
  
"No. I think that this woman is being controlled by the mitochondria she referred to," Auron said.  
  
"Now you too shall die!!!" she screamed, and lunged at Cid. Cid used his spear to propel himself three stories or more into the air, but Lilith merely flew up and met him. She kept slashing at him with her arms, at such a rate it made Cid look like a sitting duck. Yet however he kept in touch, fending off blow for blow with his spear. She however finally scored a hit onto Cid's chest, ripping through his shirt and sending blood falling below.  
  
"Crap. too bad Dagger isn't here with her summons and spells," Zidane muttered. "I am no aerial fighter like that! But I do have a potion! Here!" He threw it into the air as Cid was coming back down, and the old pilot caught it. He drank it, stopping the blood.  
  
"I am useless at long range too." Auron muttered.  
  
"Then let me at it!" Zell yelled.  
  
"But you just have your fists!" Auron said.  
  
"Which are about as good as say.. Your head!" Zidane yelled.  
  
"Just watch Monkeyboy. IFRIT! COME TO MINE AID!" Fire erupted around them, as from it a Hellish mix of hound and man came from the ground.  
  
"That ain't the Ifrit I know." Zidane and Auron said, then looked to each other.  
  
"But what about Cid?" Zidane asked. But his question was answered, as Cid plunged his spear into the ground and landed safely. Meanwhile there was a rush of fire nobody could see through. Cid pushed back up his goggles, as the fires vanished. In their place was a beautiful young woman in uniform, battered and bruised. She pushed herself up, looking at them with pleading eyes.  
  
"Lilith is out of control. Kill me now before."  
  
"First a through story." Cid said, looking to the others who nodded. "Then we shall decide what to do." She nodded, running a hand through her blond hair that seemed almost red with blood.  
  
"There is not much time before she regains her strength. but all right. My name is Aya Brea, and as a child my family was involved in a car accident. My mom and sister were killed, and from my sister Maya I was given a new cornea, or eye lens, and another woman named Melissa was given a liver. Many years later we were both drawn to the same fate because of it."  
  
"To harbor a monster?" Auron asked, receiving a nod.  
  
"Yes. you see in all beings there are mitochondria, creatures living in harmony with our bodies. They all came from a single woman. Eve. Eve had taken over Maya. and thus Melissa. For a time I was able to use my powers to defeat Melissa until one day I could no longer fight it and this happened."  
  
"Well then the solution's easy!" Zidane said with a smile. "You just keep on fighting Aya! Never let Lilith win!"  
  
"But she has gotten so strong."  
  
"You ain't no weakling either," Zell pointed out.  
  
"And we shall be there to help you see it through," Auron said. "That is if you do not mind coming with us on a journey to save the worlds."  
  
"A chance to redeem myself?" she asked. Cid nodded.  
  
"Yep. So what is it going to be Aya? The path will be dangerous you know." She nodded.  
  
"Yeah. but I was an officer for New York! Danger is my middle name!"  
  
"Great! I'm Zidane!" the monkeyboy said with a smirk, sitting up on his tail as he extended his hand. Aya laughed a bit, and shook it.  
  
"I'm Zell!" Zell said, shaking hands with her as well.  
  
"Auron," Auron said with a nod which Aya nodded back to.  
  
"And I'm the leader," Cid said as he held out his hand. "Cid Highwind." Aya took it, jut as Zidane yelled,  
  
"Hey! I thought I was the leader!" The group had a laugh over this, as once more things started to fade out. 


	6. The Cta's Meow

Onto a game most have forgotten, The Bouncer. Quick and easy, but Kaldea was an interesting figure whose mysterious ways deserve a place in the party.  
  
Chapter Five The Cat's Meow  
  
The group found themselves at the end of a hallway, witnesses to a grisly scene. Three burly men stood over a beautiful young woman. or at least at one point she had been beautiful. Now she was barely conscious, and it almost seemed as if she was dying. "Si.on." she whispered, before passing out.  
  
"Those bastards!" Zell said angrily. "I'll kill them myself!"  
  
"They are not our enemy right?" Aya asked.  
  
"No." Cid said with certainty. "I think they are just servers of Fate."  
  
"Do you know her Sion?" the blond hair man from the trio asked, a man with spikes on his head and a cactuar on his jacket.  
  
"She resembles someone I once knew," replied a brown haired boy with a crossbones pendant around his neck. "But that was a long time ago." The three walked on, and through a set of doors.  
  
"They're just going to LEAVE her?" Zidane yelled. "Come on Zell! Let's go after them!"  
  
"I have a feeling that they have more important things to attend to." Auron said shaking his head.  
  
"More important than a damsel in distress?" Zidane asked, hands on hips.  
  
"Look," Aya said, walking over to the fallen woman. "Right now we are her only chance to live! Do you really want to go get vengeance instead?"  
  
"She does have a good point," Auron said following her.  
  
"Cheer up kids, there will plenty of time for ass-kicking later!" Cid said, patting both on the shoulder before following Auron.  
  
"Man I hate it when I'm wrong!" Zell said, throwing his hands up with frustration as he followed to. Zidane smiled, right behind him until at last they were all around her.  
  
"I'm all out of potions," he said.  
  
"It will be all right," Aya said, pulling a Heal3 potion from the pocket in her vest. She tilted up the woman's head, and gently ran the potion into the mouth. There was a tense moment as they all watched intently, before the woman's eyes opened.  
  
"Who are you. where's Sion?" She moved to get up, but Aya gently held her down.  
  
"Easy there. you must give the medicine a minute or two."  
  
"As for Sion, that bastard and his friends already left," Zidane said.  
  
"You knew him Mam?" Auron asked.  
  
"I did a long time ago. but now I understand there is no place for me in his life now."  
  
"Hmph, I'd say you weren't missing out on much!" Zell said, folding his arms.  
  
"ZELL!" Aya scolded, drawing a chagrined look from the fighter.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"But where did you all come from? We are in space!" the woman said, looking over them all. Cid just grinned widely, like a schoolboy just told that school for the day was cancelled.  
  
"Space? Really?"  
  
"Uh. yes. Why?"  
  
"Hah hah. space." He then seemed to compose himself and asked, "Is there a window nearby?"  
  
"Yes down that hallway and to the right but."  
  
"Great!" and he skipped over to it and pressed his face up against it. They all just stared at him, then Cid laughed and raised up his spear.  
  
"SPACE! FINALLY I AM BACK!" He moved to smash the window, but at that instant a huge panther crashed into his side. Cid looked at the panther with shock, as it stood over the window like a sentinel. It was a raven black, however it also seemed to shine like metal. Then, just as the others came up to them, it shifted back to the woman who was panting a bit.  
  
"Just who are you?" Cid asked.  
  
"My name is Kaldea. an experiment if you will," she replied.  
  
"One of Hojo's?" Cid asked.  
  
"I know of no Hojo," the woman said shaking her head. "What I do know is that you came within seconds of killing us all. Why?"  
  
"No. I. I was just. it's space! The skies. my home."  
  
"Cid?" Auron asked.  
  
"For Odin's sake Cid!" Zidane yelled.  
  
"You sound as crazy as Seifer was." Zell said.  
  
"No I."  
  
"Just what are you Cid?" Kaldea asked. "Something more than human I can see. like me." Cid sighed.  
  
"Well supposedly I am a dragoon, the last in my world. At least, that is what Stormy. my wolf dragon told me. Hell if I know what a dragoon is! Midgar never had them. and I never knew my folks!"  
  
"Dragoons. dragoons. why does that name sound so familiar?" Zidane asked himself. "Oh yeah! My friend Freya is one! All I know is that they can jump real high with a spear and use special magic."  
  
"In my realm there is a legend about them, the Dragon Knights, but not all too much is known. They were said to live with the dragons in the sky. but Cid my friend."  
  
"I know," Cid said shaking his head.  
  
"Wait. what is all this talk about other worlds?" Kaldea asked.  
  
"There is a great evil threatening the worlds. all of them," Auron explained. "A monster from Cid's realm. Cid was called upon to form a party to fight it and thus we come to you."  
  
"Will you join us?" Zell asked.  
  
"Yes. there's goodies involved!" Zidane said with a wide grin. "Even managed to get this off that spikey guy," he pulled out a fistful of change, and Kaldea had to smile.  
  
"I'll do it," she said! There is no place left here for me now." Just then, there was the sound of an explosion.  
  
"Just in time!" Cid said, taking her hand and shaking it.  
  
"Wheee! Here we go again!" Zidane yelled, as the world faded out of focus. 


	7. Dragonheart

Okay, on to yet another FF game. However this is one only a few have mastered: Tactics. It is a great game for something different and full of intrigue, but here instead I will focus on someone unnamed. Chapter Six The Dragon's Heart  
  
"Damn." Cid muttered as he rubbed a painful spot on the back of his head. "That was some landing eh guys?" He opened his eyes. only to find that the rest of his party was nowhere to be seen. "Guys?" he asked again.  
  
"No guys. just me," said a soft voice. Cid turned around to find a tall female warrior, with a lance in her hand. She wore a helmet with wings upon it over her blond hair, and Cid could see that her eyes were the exact same shade as his own.  
  
"Were you standing guard over me?" Cid asked, receiving a nod in return.  
  
"Yes I was. we dragoons watch over each other you know? I mean you may be dressed differently, but I know you are my brother all the same." She moved over to him, and offered her gloved hand to help him to his feet. He took it, and realized that they were about the same height too.  
  
"Yeah. I've been told I was a dragoon. The name is Cid Highwind," he said. "Yours?" She shook her head.  
  
"I have no need for a name. I have no want to be recognized, nor do I need to be loved. If I do any wrong then they know who to punish regardless. If I die, then my body shall just be dust in the wind and my soul shall fly with the dragons once more."  
  
"No offense Mam but that's kinda depressing," Cid said, shaking his head.  
  
"I was born into a time of war. lost my parents young."  
  
"Yeah. I know the feeling," Cid said. "I never knew mine either."  
  
"But I do not need parents to know who I am or my place in the world. Do you feel the same way Cid?" Cid frowned, looking up to the sky.  
  
"I don't know. To tell you the truth. I."  
  
"I know your problem Cid. and I think that I can help. Summon your dragon Cid. and I shall take you to our home." Dumbfounded but curious, Cid nodded.  
  
"Soulstorm! I summon you to come to my aid!" In a second, the giant dragon was at Cid's side. The other dragoon did not have to say a word, before a huge green dragon pulled swooped down from the skies and picked her up. Cid climbed onto Stormy's back, and followed behind. The rode for what seemed miles, until a huge building came into sight at the top of a cliff.  
  
"Only dragoons can see this sacred place," the woman said to Cid as they landed. "You did well," she told the dragon, before she got off and let it fly away. Cid did the same, watching Stormy once again vanish.  
  
"It is huge," Cid said with wonder. The building made Shinra HQ look like a campsite, and that was saying something. It seemed paved with gold, and sparkled like a jewel.  
  
"Yes. and here is where you will hopefully find some answers." The gate opened, allowing the pair to enter, before shutting behind them Inside was an immense array of rooms, and where they stood was a huge foyer bare of design. "And also where you can at last be yourself." With this the girl took off her helmet, allowing her blond hair to flow freely behind her. She removed her boots, gloves and shirt next, revealing what Cid already knew would be there. Emerald scales lined her arms, chest, and legs like an armor, and behind her unfolded a set of wings that perfectly completed her dragon partner's.  
  
"What is the matter Cid?" she asked.  
  
"It's just that I never. well I."  
  
"Are you ashamed of yourself Cid?"  
  
"No. it is just that I. well I." She nodded, and in an instant Cid's gloves, shirt, and boots were beside him. But he did not have what she did, only ugly scarring.  
  
"Cid." she said shaking her head. She put her wings around him, and somehow he felt comforted. Warm tears fell from her onto his cheek, and he found himself touched. "What happened to you?" she asked.  
  
"I. I was too young to remember." he said shaking his head. She looked at him, and sighed.  
  
"That is only what you tell yourself to forget it. I can't blame you but." She put a hand to his forehead, and with a shudder he spoke.  
  
"I was a young kid in the woods when Shinra found me. They. they let Hojo take me apart and put me together again but as a man. To retain my strength and skills but look like a normal human. their perfect captain." She removed her hand, then once more looked into Cid's eyes. She was about to say something, when an explosion was heard behind them.  
  
"What the Hell!" Cid yelled.  
  
"We're under attack!" the woman yelled. She ran outside, to find a whole league of what looked to be floating eyeballs with wings. Cid knew them very well from his world, but here they went by a different name. "They must have seen us enter!  
  
"Allemanges," Cid growled, readying his spear. "Do we have backup?"  
  
"Like me, the other dragoons are out on various excursions," she replied. Cid narrowed his eyes, as the hoard of monsters came closer to them.  
  
"Then I will take the entrance and you the sky!" She nodded, and with her wings pushed up into the air. He did not get to see her leave however, as the monsters came upon him as did the battle fire. "DIE!" he screamed, plunging his spear into them as they came. At times there were dozens upon him, but for this he would simply use the attack he liked to call Big Brawl and kill them all. Not that he was not injured too. Their claws had taken bits from his unprotected skin, and there was a nasty wound on his cheek. But they were all dead, and with a blast from the Fire materia he carried he incinerated their bodies.  
  
"Whew. we did it gal," he said, looking up only to find she was no longer there.  
  
"Cid." came a weak voice behind him. He whirled around, only to find his friend dying from a deep wound in her chest, right underneath the scales that formed a kind of breastplate.  
  
He ran up to her, and kneeled down. "You'll be just fine," he said, about to use a cure materia. He did not care if he only had enough MP to summon Bahamut, he just wanted her to live. If he did not get to summon the big guy then it was okay to him.  
  
"No," she said shaking her head. "I know your situation. save it for Sephiroth."  
  
"But I was certain. you could go with me to fight and."  
  
"I am not the one to be pulled from this world Cid." she said, and with that she hugged him. 


	8. Back in Action!

Okay, I split this one up so on we are with chapter two. I did not feel like going into detail on the dragoon's death, but all in all this is a good chapter.  
  
Chapter Six Part Two The Gunman  
  
"Okay. where did that big lughead run off to?" Zidane asked, as he searched the area with the others.  
  
"He is not here," Kaldea said, certainty in her tone.  
  
"How do you know?" Zell asked.  
  
"I would smell him if he was."  
  
"Well he does have an old fart smell but so does Auron!" Zell said.  
  
"Watch it Kid," Auron growled.  
  
"But where are we?" Aya asked. They all surveyed the area, to find themselves indoors. Behind them, there lied a massive machine. In front of them, a young blond-haired man just stared.  
  
"Hey I know that I'm handsome and well-filled and all but that does not mean that you have to stare buddy!" Zidane said, his tail twitching with annoyance. The stranger look abashed a moment, then smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry. it's just that I was trying to dismantle this machine. Not so long ago it brought some kid named Cloud back. Guy went totally crazy over this flowergirl named Aeris, then joined the team."  
  
"Wooh boy. you sure a rambler you know that?" Zell asked.  
  
"Oh!" Aya exclaimed walking over to the man. "You have a gun too?" He pulled it out for her to see, and she did the same for him.  
  
"I have never seen one so fine." the man said.  
  
"Yeah. had a friend of mine engrave it before my world almost died. Yours is cool too though! Such great shape. you seem to have great respect for it."  
  
"Oh yes, I found it as a kid and I have had it ever since at my side. Say. my name is Mustachio but everyone calls me."  
  
"MUSTY!" Zell and Zidane yelled, laughing hard.  
  
"Er yes. how did you know?" he asked.  
  
"Better question is have you seen another man around here with a huge spear?" Auron asked. "He is our leader but we seem to be missing him."  
  
"And you can't have a party without a leader can you?" Musty asked. "Well let us just head on over to the nearest bar and see if they have heard anything."  
  
A little while later they were at the closest bar. Of course, they had stories over to tell of a pair of dragons seen flying overhead, with dragoons on their backs. "Well. at least we know he is in this world with us," Aya said with a shrug. Just then, they heard the sound of engines. They all rushed outside, only to find Cid hanging out of a huge airship.  
  
"Hey guys," he said with a smile.  
  
"CID!" Cid just looked at them a moment smiling before putting his hands on his hips like a mother and asking, "Well are you all just going to stare at it or are you getting in?"  
  
"It is like the Tantalus."  
  
"Almost like a dirigible," Aya said.  
  
"It is amazing," Musty said with wonder as he climbed o as well.  
  
"The Highwind II! With all of the spare parts around here it was easy. plus a little dragoon magic."  
  
"I see you discovered your kind here then," Auron said. Cid smirked.  
  
"Nah. too uptight for my taste." But all could see there was a sadness hidden deep within his eyes. "So who's the new kid here?"  
  
"MUSTY!" Zell and Zidane yelled, rolling over with laughter. Cid rolled his eyes.  
  
"Don't mind those two, they are idiots. Really though, what is it?"  
  
"Mustachio, but Musty works great!" he said.  
  
"All righty then Kid, Musty it is. Hey listen, want to go save the world with us?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Musty asked. "After all, there is nothing left here for me to do since that damn machine never works right!" Cid nodded.  
  
"That's great. so let's see here. We have Auron the bladesman, Zell the fighter, Zidane the thief."  
  
"Master Thief," Zidane corrected.  
  
"Whatever. Then there is Aya with her powers, Kaldea with her shifting abilities, Musty here with his gun, and me with my piloting and dragoon skills. Seven. folks I think that we have out party. As soon as Musty shakes my hand and makes it official, Sephy will be our next target." 


End file.
